Orange Juice – Coals to Newcastle (CD Set)

Seven CDs worth of material is absolutely amazing, and this fact becomes more amazing when individuals realize that the quality of these recordings does not slack at any point. The main discs comprise their original albums, with a number of live or otherwise demo tracks taking residence at the end of the disc. This means that the first disc provides listeners with 2005’s compilation “The Glasgow School” while adding on “Simply Thrilled Honey”, “Botswana”, “Time to Develop”, and “Blue Boy”. However interesting these early-set releases may be, I feel that this release truly shines with the inclusion of the band’s 1980-1984 BBC sessions on the 6th disc. Other inclusions, such as tracks from countless vinyl releases and flexi-discs, represent some seriously rare ephemera.

The final disc in Coals to Newcastle is a DVD version of Dada With (The) Juice. The DVD also collects music videos for “What Presence?!” and “Rip It Up”, while providing a sharpness to each piece that far outstrips any other method of watching them (VHS or Youtube). At a $60 MSRP, there is no reason that fans of Orange Juice should not search out and purchase a copy of this boxed set. With each disc clocking in at a hair under $10, one simply cannot find a better deal for any Orange Juice material anywhere.

Furthermore, the bonus features that are present on this box set represent added value that simply cannot be beat. Many listeners of current music are not familiar with this band, and Domino has done a service by cleaning up and otherwise stuffing each release with this much material. Here’s to hoping that the label continues to search out otherwise forgotten bands and gives them this treatment in the years to come.